This invention relates to a technique for securely delivering a traveler""s baggage to an address designated by the traveler, even in a case where the traveler canceled his or her travel or changed his or her destination.
In a case where a traveler has to send a baggage, such as a golf bag or ski goods, to the travel destination, he or she may request a parcel delivery company to deliver it. But, in a case where the traveler cancels his or her travel or changes his or her destination just before the travel, the baggage is still delivered to the travel destination, and if he or she doesn""t request to send back the baggage, it is left in the travel destination.
An object of the invention is therefore to provide a technique for securely delivering a traveler""s baggage to an address designated by the traveler even in a case where the traveler canceled his or her travel or changed the travel destination.
According to a first aspect of the invention, a method for managing a delivery destination comprises the steps of: receiving and registering into a storage device, identification information of a traveler, information of a contact address, boarding information, and information concerning a destination of a baggage from a delivery receipt terminal operated by the traveler; acquiring information concerning a boarding status of the traveler from a passenger carrier server for managing the boarding status of the traveler; if there is inconsistency between the information concerning the boarding status of the traveler, which is acquired in the acquiring step, and the boarding information registered in the storage device, inquiring the traveler about delivery destination of the baggage based on the information of the contact address of the traveler; and registering information concerning the delivery destination of the baggage, which is notified from the traveler in response to the inquiry by the inquiring step.
By doing so, since it is necessary for the traveler only to input the identification information of the traveler, information of the contact address, the boarding information, and the information concerning the destination of the baggage from the delivery receipt terminal, and to designate the delivery destination of the baggage for the inquiry even in a case where there is cancellation of the travel or a change of the travel destination, a simple procedure is only requested to send his or her baggage to an appropriate place. Besides, it becomes possible to surely deliver the traveler""s baggage to the address designated by the traveler.
Besides, the method may further comprise a step of outputting a delivery instruction including information of the delivery destination of the baggage based on the information concerning the delivery destination of the baggage, which is registered in the storage device. It becomes possible for staffs of the carrier to surely deliver the address designated by the traveler.
Besides, in the aforementioned step of registering information concerning the delivery destination of the baggage, the information concerning the delivery destination of the baggage, which is registered at the receiving and registering step, may be updated by the information concerning the delivery destination of the baggage, which is notified from the traveler.
Besides, the information concerning the delivery destination of the baggage, which is registered in the storage device at the receiving and registering step, may include normal delivery destination information of the baggage and delivery destination information of the baggage at cancellation of the travel. It becomes easy to designate the destination at the cancellation of the travel.
Besides, in the aforementioned step of registering information concerning the delivery destination of the baggage, if designation of a new delivery destination of the baggage is received as the delivery destination of the baggage from the traveler in response to the inquiry by the inquiring step, the information concerning the delivery destination of the baggage, which is registered in the storage device, may be updated by using information of the new delivery destination of the baggage. By doing so, it becomes possible to surely deliver the traveler""s baggage to the delivery destination designated by the traveler.
Besides, in the aforementioned step of registering information concerning the delivery information of the baggage, if designation of the delivery destination, which is notified from the traveler, is designation of the delivery destination of the baggage at the cancellation of the travel, the normal delivery destination information of the baggage may be updated by the delivery destination information of the baggage at the cancellation of the travel. It is possible to surely handle the baggage even at the cancellation of the travel.
Besides, in the aforementioned acquiring step, the information concerning the boarding status of the traveler, which corresponds to the boarding information, may be requested to the passenger carrier server at timing according to a departure time specified by the boarding information. By doing so, it becomes possible to surely grasp the boarding status of the traveler.
Besides, a storage area for a delivery flag may be provided in the storage device, and the delivery flag may be set to a state indicating delivery possible in at least a case where there is consistency between the information concerning the boarding status of the traveler and the boarding information registered in the storage device, and the aforementioned outputting step may be executed in a case where the delivery flag is set to the state indicating delivery possible. By doing so, it becomes possible to deliver the baggage of the traveler to the address designated by the traveler at an appropriate timing.
Besides, according to a second aspect of the invention, a method for applying a delivery of a baggage, comprises the steps of: receiving from a computer and displaying on a display device, data for prompting a traveler to input at least identification information of the traveler, information of a contact address, boarding information, and information concerning delivery destination of the baggage at an application time of the baggage delivery; and accepting from the traveler and transmitting to the computer, at least the identification information of the traveler, the information of the contact address, the boarding information, and the information concerning the delivery destination of the baggage. In delivery application of the baggage, the boarding information of his or her travel can be registered together with the information for the baggage.
Incidentally, the method according to the first aspect of the invention can be executed through a program and a computer. This program is stored in a storage medium or a storage device such as, for example, a flexible disk, a CD-ROM, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory, or a hard disk. Besides, there is also a case where the program is distributed through a network or the like. Incidentally, an intermediate processing result is temporarily held in a memory.